Hi all,
We have a project (Non US) that is located in a previously developed site in a very dense urban area. However the road that connects the project site is a very small road that has no pedestrian paving. But there are many diverse uses in the area and the only access to the project is by this small road. There are many commercial facilities that use the same road and most of them are walking to these facilities.
Is there a way to achieve the credit with this situation? Thanks in advance.
Emily Purcell
Sustainable Design LeadCannonDesign
LEEDuser Expert
370 thumbs up
September 3, 2019 - 6:30 pm
Good question...the reference guide indicates that the path should be measured along " infrastructure that is safe and comfortable for pedestrian." In a U.S. context I think a road would not be acceptable...but I know in many cities outside the U.S. vehicles and pedestrians share city streets and the conditions are safe. You probably have a good idea of whether this road is safe and comfortable: is the vehicle speed low and the visibility good? Is it regularly used by pedestrians? Does it meet the credit intent of putting local services within walking distance? If you believe it meets the criteria, I would recommend including photos with the LEED application to demonstrate that it allows safe pedestrian access.
Reshadee Weerasooriya
Sustainability/LEED Executiveco-energi (Pvt) Ltd.
7 thumbs up
September 3, 2019 - 11:48 pm
Thanks for your prompt reply Emily. Yes, I agree. This seems impractical to developing countries that strive to build green buildings. The road in question is only used by the people who specifically visit the surrounding area, so the motor vehicle use is very low. It is regularly used by pedestrians and connects to the main road which has the local services along the road. This main road does in fact has markings that separate vehicles and pedestrians.
There are about 4 commercial facilities having about 500 FTE per each that use the road in question and the mode of travel is by walking, bicycling, motor cycles, three wheelers and cars. The road is actually only 12 feet wide. The vehicles have to limit the speed automatically due to road structured as speed bumps are present. We are thinking of providing a narrative to justify our situation. Appreciate if you can give some input to tackle this problem.
Emily Purcell
Sustainable Design LeadCannonDesign
LEEDuser Expert
370 thumbs up
September 4, 2019 - 9:20 am
I think a narrative summing up what you just said in your comment, and a photo showing typical road conditions with pedestrians and vehicles sharing space, is the best thing to provide.
Reshadee Weerasooriya
Sustainability/LEED Executiveco-energi (Pvt) Ltd.
7 thumbs up
September 4, 2019 - 11:08 pm
Thank you very much Emily!